


End to a War

by Bloody_Destination



Series: Dark Ace Series of Connected Drabbles [10]
Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-07-10 11:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19904884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloody_Destination/pseuds/Bloody_Destination
Summary: Starts from the beginning of the Storm Hawks series and goes through the non canon finale. Ace's point of view.Towards the middle it gets au and by the end some things have definitely changed.





	End to a War

Aerrow has grown so much in the ten years since Ace last saw him. He’s as short as Ace was at his age, barely fourteen, but already a Captain and a leader of this new generation of Storm Hawks. They’re so much younger, so different than the originals had been, but no less foolhardy and brave. Just children fighting in a War so much older than themselves.

And doesn’t this bring back memories, as the Condor, the honest to gods original Condor, flies with them. It’s a patchwork of metal and paint, but it flies like the original. He’d dare say it flies better than the original.

He’s almost looking forward to fighting them, seeing what they’re made of. They don’t disappoint. The Condor outmaneuvers against his hand-picked men and women, his Sky Destroyer too slow to even try following.

Like most battles Ace has ever been in, he wins with practiced ease. He can see the boy’s potential, all of their potential. But they are only kids and Ace can’t bare to watch this boy fall, this boy who looks so much like his parents, like Lightning. He can’t bare to kill his little brother. He threatens him, says the only way to survive is to win, but even so, when Ace wins, he lets the boy live. Humiliates him, forces him to quit.

But this is Lightning’s son, Mimi’s son. He doesn’t give up that easily. Ace is so proud of him but begs the boy in his mind to stand down, to give up. Stop fighting already so that he won’t have to kill another member of his family.

Aerrow comes back and succeeds where others fail, succeeds in actually being a Sky Knights. Other Squadrons put up a skirmish at best, but they are all so afraid of the Cyclonian’s wrath that they give up soon after. Not Aerrow, and not the rest of the Storm Hawks.

Despite Ace’s constant taunts and threats of no mercy, that is all he has for the red-haired boy. He holds back and inevitably, that leads to his first loss in over a decade. The boy has talent, there is no denying that, but Ace shouldn’t have lost, but when he saw that attack, it was almost exactly like his father’s Lightning Strike. It froze him in his tracks and he lost with only himself to blame.

He loses again that same day, but it was either go after the boy or protect Lark and he chose the Latter. Ace continues to lose, again and again. But he isn’t the only one. Every battle thereafter, it seems the Storm Hawks are creating trouble for any and all Talons and Cyclonian Forces they come across. They ruin plan after plot after carefully laid strategy.

That doesn’t matter to Master Cyclonis though. She targets his failings before any other. She was raised by her grandmother, after all, and Master Anarchis taught her failure from her top generals and commanders were never an option. Failure starts from the top and Ace really can’t deny that because in every single battle he holds back.

Ace is sure Lark knows this. He’s told her about his past. He remembers her asking once, why he betrayed Atmos for Cyclonia and he told her. He doesn’t regret telling Lark about his other baby sibling, of the red-haired toddler. She must know that child in Ace’s story is the very same as the red-haired adolescent who has proclaimed himself as their greatest enemy thus far. She must know Ace is holding back on purpose. She doesn’t mention it though, not in words, but in actions as she punishes him every time he comes back a disappointment.

It starts to get fun after a few battles. Ace covers up his excited smile every time he sees the Condor with a smirk and a condescending comment at the young squadron of Sky Knights. Aerrow doesn’t bother with covering up his own smile, enjoying the energy of battle. He stays in his skimmer as much as his father did, which is barely at all. The boy spends more time on Ace’s switchblade than he does on his own skimmer. He also enjoys destroying his switchblade just as much, but Ace can’t complain. He enjoys the feeling of metal and bolts under his screwdriver as he goes about fixing the craft every single time.

Aerrow isn’t a very good fighter, not at first, anyway. He more than makes up for it in his craftiness. He’s smart and underhanded in a way his father never was. He must get it from his mother, Ace thinks. He still winces when he had to tell Master Cyclonis his switchblade was taken down by a wrench. Embarrassing and the punishment wasn’t light.

Ace has to think outside the box now that he knows he can’t outright take on Aerrow. He uses his connections and the fear that his name brings. Even if it means going to Harrier and the Rex Guardians, but they are so desperate for peace. The Sky Knights are fighting to protect the people, not for freedom and Ace takes advantage of this.

He approaches them, promises them Cyclonia will stay far away from Terra Rex and the surrounding quadrant. He remembers them, from a time before the Dark Ace. They were younger then, full of wide-eyed wonder when Lightning came to them asking for allies and they’d readily agreed. They proved themselves time and again, both as allies and friends. Harrier can’t keep the nostalgic look from his eyes as he takes Ace in, the handshake too tight and trembling.

Ace also remembers they were the first to retreat when the last battle was so clearly lost. They’re skimmers weren’t caught in Ace’s electric field that took down every other Sky Knight’s skimmer. Other squadrons had begged for help, but they chose to save themselves when the Storm Hawks disappeared below the fog of the Wastelands. They turned their backs on everyone not of their own territory. He doesn’t really feel all that guilty about betraying a man who betrayed all of Atmos’ trust. Ace doesn’t blame the man either. It was desperate times, then and desperate still to this day.

He still cuts the parachute strings out of spite. He saw Aerrow coming anyway and true to form, the Sky Knight catches him. Again, he loses through underhanded means, but the fighting was fun while it lasted, even if it was a little alarming getting chased by a Phoenix.

Aerrow isn’t like his father, not at all. He uses two small energy daggers as opposed to his father’s broad energy sword. He’s more agile and uses speed rather than strength. While both father and son used close combat, where Lightning used brute force, Aerrow is nimble and small and uses surprise to his advantage. Aerrow is underhanded while Lightning was honorable. He’s glad for it though. It doesn’t feel like fighting Lightning. It feels like he’s fighting Aerrow and only Aerrow, not a shadow of his past.

There is only one defeat that Ace can actually say he’s happy for, and the one that gave Lark her very first friend. Not when it happens, but later when the fighting is finished, and Lark can finally be herself. He’d been opposed at first because Lark has never been beyond the boarder of Cyclonia before and she’d planned to go alone. He could do nothing but watch as she disappeared into the raging wind of a massive storm, with blonde hair, tan skin and a smile he’d only ever wished she’d wear more often.

Ace knows she’s hiding something. Lark talked in great detail about her plans to infiltrate the Storm Hawks, but none so much as the Crystal Mage on board. It took only as long as Master Cyclonis took to describe her plan for Ace to figure out Piper was her target. Under all of that flowery talk and over explaining, was her plans to pull the girl to their side.

He doesn’t tell her otherwise. She needs to learn for herself the heartbreak this world will bring, even if he wants to protect her from it. Lark is lonely, and Ace may be her brother, but he’s also her loyal servant, not a friend. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t watch the Storm Hawks closely, waiting to step in at a moment’s notice if he thinks Lark is in any danger.

Master Cyclonis doesn’t end up needing him, not when she comes back completely unharmed, without the girl and an emotional wreck. She holes herself in her throne room, not even allowing Ace in. He never leaves the door, though. When the machines finally cease making noise and no more shuffling can be heard, Ace finally enters and approaches the prone form of his sister. She’s out cold and as he picks her up to take her back to her room, he can’t help but to notice the tear tracks drying on her face.

After this, it seems like no matter where Ace goes, the Storm Hawks are either already there are not far behind. It’s all completely by accident, but it feels like fate. When they enter the same race for the Crystal amulet, he actually enjoys seeing just who the better pilot is between them. His real goal is the complete annihilation of the Sky Knights here, but he gets some satisfaction from the race anyway. He’s already gotten it in his mind that he’s probably going to lose anyway so why not make it an enjoyable defeat.

He turns his back on Aerrow and he knows he shouldn’t, but this has just become the norm. He doesn’t regret it, will never regret sparing Aerrow’s life. Ace eats dust before he even has a chance to take out one downed Sky Knight and is sent packing.

This also marks a turning point in the fight quickly turning into a war. Aerrow is gaining support, gaining rhythm. Sky Knights are quickly turning in his favor and he’s gaining allies faster than Lightning ever had. He’s becoming a leader and Sky Knight squadrons are falling into step behind him. He’s inspiring people to fight back and Master Cyclonis is quickly losing her patience.

Then there are his two top generals, Snipe and Ravess. They look up to him a great deal, follow his orders with reckless abandon. That is probably why he pushes them so hard, why he punishes them even harder. He can’t bare these two’s admiration. They’re loyal for no reason and that is what hurts Ace. They try to impress him, with their exceedingly cruel tactics. He’s told them time and again to not be so reckless, but they never listen and that leads them to failure.

He remembers seeing these two siblings, a little older than Lark was at the time. Slaves of the Cyclonian empire, but Ace had seen their potential and he’d needed good warriors that would follow orders, so he had taken them and trained them himself. Maybe it was the fact he had given them more freedom than they’d ever had before despite him being crueler than their former master had been. Now he can’t get rid of them.

At least Ravess has a brain underneath that purple hair of hers, unlike Snipe with his grand schemes that only ever end in failure, including his idiot idea of a Destroyer. It only lasts an hour after completion and is a complete waste of Cyclonia’s funding. It also leads to another complete defeat by the Storm Hawks. It’s this battle that Ace finally realizes that he can’t hold back anymore because if he does, Aerrow might actually take him out for good. Ace has to try this time and he still loses.

He can still feel the metal ceiling against his back as he winces in pain. Aerrow hadn’t held back and Ace could tell. He’s gotten better, both in his fighting and in his banter. Ace enjoys both and when their = side finally loses, as Ace knew they would, he is harsh in his punishment and Snipe knows better than to argue.

Ace wishes he had been in the prison encampment when Aerrow had broken in, acting as a prisoner and subsequently freeing all of the imprisoned Sky Knights. If there is one thing Cyclonia is known for, it is their impenetrable prisons, but this prison had been in Atmosian territory, built as a warning for anyone who dared to go against Cyclonia. It was only a matter of time, especially with the ever-growing resistance.

Master Cyclonis is starting to get desperate after this stunt. She orders new troops to be recruited, more cannon fodder. He shouldn’t have given this task to Snipe. He may be the idiot of the two siblings, but he’s also the crueler of the two of his generals. He only learns after that he’s been taking children, young children and turning them into Talons.

Maybe it was his own young age when Ace took him under his wing that Snipe thought he could do the same to these youngsters. If it wasn’t for the fact Aerrow has inspired hundreds of children to one day become Sky Knights, Ace might have been relieved that the training camp has been shut down.

Something changes in his Master. She agrees to sponsor some fight club for gods know what reason and she comes back crying once more. He knows for a fact, before a Talon even briefs him, that it has something to do with the Storm Hawks, with the girl, Piper, in particular.

“She said we could be friends.” She whispers to Ace in the privacy of her throne room, “If things were different. Why can’t things be different, Dark Ace?”

He wants to tell her that they can be, that she can be whatever she wants to be. She isn’t ready to hear it yet. She’s still so set on her grandmother’s teachings, on their father’s harsh tutelage. She isn’t ready for Ace to tell her to be a child when she doesn’t know how to be one yet. He doesn’t stop her from wishing though and maybe in the future, that wish might come true.

On Ace’s next expedition out of Cyclonia, Master Cyclonis is at the helm, commanding the Destroyer. It isn’t long until her erratic directions make sense and they are upon the Storm Hawks within hours. He nearly has a heart attack when she straddles a skimmer alongside his switchblade.

She doesn’t even watch where she’s going, and Ace has to follow her around the entire time, but she tells him not to interfere when she locks eyes with the purple haired girl. Aerrow is distracted with a hoard of Talons along with the other Sky Knights. The two girls do more talking than fighting, and what fighting does happen is half-hearted and meant only for show.

He’s far too distracted to realize the Talons have halved in size until there is a voice behind him, “So, are you just gonna sit there, or…”

Ace does not jump when that voice resounds nearly directly in his ear, barely an inch away. Aerrow has somehow settled himself on Ace’s switchblade, sitting there as if it was his, legs crossed on the wing. He goes for his energy blade but then he hears Lark’s cry of alarm and his head swings back to the front to see Piper has a hold of Lark’s hand, pulling the girl onto her helescooter while her own skimmer is falling in ruins.

“A little distracted?”

Ace does _not_ jump for a second time. Nor does he forget that Aerrow was on his switchblade, “Get off, brat, or I’ll make you get off.”

This time he actually attempts to hit the Sky Knight before he can get distracted again. Too late for that, Ace thinks while fighting the Sky Knight. He can barely pay attention to Aerrow while he focuses on the two girls arguing on the helescooter. They aren’t fighting anymore and for that he can only be thankful. But Aerrow notices and for some reason, he doesn’t take advantage. He’s had dozens of chances to take Ace out, but only takes aim when he knows Ace is paying enough attention to block or dodge.

“If you have something better to do, we can always do this later.” Aerrow taunts and Ace growls, “Piper isn’t going to hurt Cyclonis, if that’s what your worried about.”

“Shut up.” Ace bites out, “Master Cyclonis far outmatches that girl.”

“And I’m not worried about Cyclonis hurting Piper either…if your wondering.” Ace wasn’t wondering. He also knows that Lark has become attached and won’t risk injuring her only friend, “Soooo! Fighting? You, me, and a world of hurt?”

Ace blames it on the boy’s charisma, but he can’t help putting more strength into his strikes and Aerrow does the same when he knows Ace has gotten the hint. They fight on the wing of his switchblade and for the first time in however long they’ve been doing this, Ace realizes that Aerrow is holding back. He’s a natural at fighting and his movements are all fluid, but Ace knows he isn’t at peak condition with Lark out there with him. He’s shaky at best, but Aerrow is at his best and looks like he’s at his best, as if he’s fighting an Ace also at his best.

Which means that Aerrow has been doing this for a while now with how natural his faking is. Ace is an idiot. He’s been outclassed for far longer than he’s imagined but the act has to go on, if only for his own pride.

He is about to strike at Aerrow, the boy still on his switchblade when suddenly, Lark’s voice is close by and calling out to him, “Dark Ace.” He freezes mid-swing, and even Aerrow stops in his counter-attack to look over, “We’re leaving. Call a retreat.”

The helescooter is coming up beside him and Piper is helping steady her as Lark moves from the other girl’s ride to the wing of his own. He swallows at what seems like a peaceful end to a lukewarm battle. He doesn’t even hesitate to lower his sword at her orders. Aerrow won’t attack from behind, which is clear now after this battle. He can’t even really call it a battle, can he?

The blue haired girl hesitates before letting go of his Master’s hand, “Lark, I-I…”

“Save it, Piper.” She says, but the way she says it means she clearly doesn’t want to stop listening, “Let’s go, Ace.”

She sounds broken, as if she really doesn’t want to go, “As you wish, Master.”

He looks to Aerrow, but the boy is already off his switchblade and back on his own skimmer, also looking as if he wants to say something, but decidedly keeping his mouth shut.

“If you ever need anything, Lark, I’ll be here.”

Ace expects another rejection, but he is surprised when the girl only nods and for her efforts, Piper smiles at her and before Ace can even call a retreat, the Storm Hawks are way ahead of them and on their way back to the Condor.

It is a week later, and Lark has caught a cold. It’s only a cough at first, a bit of a stuffy nose, but nothing Ace hasn’t seen before from the girl. It’s not even the worst she’s been, having caught the flu once, shortly after Master Anarchis’ death. Lark doesn’t shirk her duties in the least.

But the cough doesn’t go away, even after two weeks. She’s gotten pale and hasn’t been eating, not unless Ace is there forcing her to. There is something seriously wrong with Master Cyclonis when she starts collapsing for no reason. He hears about if from Ravess first and then comes back to the palace to find Lark still working. Clearly not getting the bedrest Ace ordered Ravess to ensure Lark gets.

Ravess only looks guilty and comes up with excuses before Ace pushes past her, “Master Cyclonis, you should be resting.”

When she turns, her eyes are sunken in and a dull grey where they should be vibrant violet. She’s thinner also and her voice is scratchy as she admonishes him.

“How dare you command me! Your Mas-” she can’t finish her words as a fit of coughing overtakes her and she falls to her knees.

Ace is across the room in a second, holding Lark in his arms as her eyes go dull and slip to the back of her head, unconscious. He can’t breathe, can’t speak as Lark, his sister, his baby sister, lies dying in his arms. He races from the room, Lark held close against his chest and tears brimming in his eyes.

“I can’t lose you.” He whispers, he begs and pleads into her hair.

“I-I’m sorry, A-Ace.” She says back, and he sobs in relief, “I tri-tried to find-d a c-cure, but I didn-n’t have the right Crystals. I’m sorry, please…please don’t leave me.”

“Never, Lark.” He promises her, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She’s unconscious again by the time they reach the infirmary. He has to be coaxed in order to actually let her go and let the doctors do their job. They work for hours but all they can do is give her fluids and let her rest. He sits by her side for hours, holding her hand and petting her head. She wakes up almost a day after collapsing and Ace hasn’t taken his eyes off the girl.

“Ace.” She sounds better after being pumped full of fluids and nutrients she hasn’t been getting on her own, “I’m really sick, Ace.”

“You’ll be fine, Master.” He tells her softly.

She takes her hand from his and replaces it on her lap, “No, Ace. I won’t. I was working on a cure before you came, but I’m missing one thing. A Saperian Crystal. The only Crystal I don’t have on hand. It takes weeks to mine with how rare they are.”

So, it’s hopeless. His sister is going to die, and Ace has to watch.

“I don’t like that look you have.” She grumbles softly, “There is still hope, Ace. Piper…I’ve been in her room. She has one.”

There is a pregnant pause, heavy with emotion and Ace has to say something, “Then I’ll put a squadron together and take it from-,”

“No, Ace.” She says, firmly, “You’ll lose, like you always lose, and I’ll die anyway. She said if I ever needed her, she’d be there. And I believe her. Ask, Ace.”

He wants to argue, to yell and tell her to stop being a child. But he says nothing, instead, taking just himself and his Switchblade, ordering the doctors to keep her alive and if they fail, they die. They nearly faint and it brings Ace no joy as he finally sets out to follow his Master’s orders.

It takes him two days to track down the Storm Hawks. He places himself directly in their sights, letting them know he wants to be seen. The carrier stops almost immediately and then shortly after Aerrow is approaching, accompanied only by the blue fur ball that never seems to leave his side. Ace still remembers the day he found that little guy, or rather, when the Raider found him, literally colliding with his face.

“Ain’t this a crazy coink-i-dink, eh, Dark Ace?” Is the first thing out of Aerrow’s mouth, “ _We’re_ just flying around. _You’re_ just flying around. It’s almost like destiny we run into each other like this.”

He’s so close to threatening, to attacking. He forcibly stops himself from reaching for his energy blade. He usually lives for the banter between them, the near friendly-but-not-quit antagonism between them. But with Lark lying on her death bed and him having to come beg for help. It takes him several chances until he can finally find the words he’s looking for.

“I-“ Then closes his mouth again, “The last time we fought, your Crystal Mage made a promise. I am here on my Master’s behalf. I need to speak with the girl.”

“You expect me to believe this isn’t a trap? Not likely, Dark Ace. Even if you’re not here for a fight, that is all you are going to get.”

He knew this would happen. These are Sky Knights, after all, and Ace is a Cyclonian, Commander of the Talons. There was no way, no matter if a promise was made or not, that they would ever help an enemy. There isn’t any point in fighting, either. He’d lose, just as his Master said he would, especially when it’s only Ace and no back up.

He has only one option.

“Please. I’m begging you, Storm Hawk. I need her help. I would not be here if I did not.”

Aerrow gives him a suspicious look, but none the less takes out a communicator, hits a switch, “Alright, talk. What do you want with Piper?”

“Master Cy-,” He takes a pause. It isn’t his Master this girl sees in his sister, but his sister in his Master, “Lark is sick. She’s going to die and there is nothing I, nor our doctors, can do to save her. There is a cure, but the only piece that is missing is a Saperian Crystal, of which takes weeks to mine and Lark does not have weeks, days if that. Lark remembers seeing one in your Crystal Mage’s room.”

“You expect us to really believe that, don’t you?” Aerrow narrows his eyes, “A Saperian Crystal is rare and if I recall correctly, Master Cyclonis can turn a seemingly harmless Crystal into a deadly weapon. Your story is likely, Dark Ace, but we aren’t falling for it.”

He waits for a moment, waits for anything. A change of heart. The girl on the other end of that com to fulfill her side of a promise. He waits for a miracle, but the firm lines on Aerrow’s face don’t change and the communicator stays dead and Ace has learned long ago to stop waiting for a miracle.

His sister is going to die, and Ace will have nothing left, but a broken heart that has finally shattered completely.

“Fine then.” It’s not a very good come back, sounds broken but he doesn’t want to risk saying more, can’t risk looking so weak in front of the Sky Knight.

His hands tighten on the handles of his switchblade, but the small crackling of a communicator has him pausing. In hope, in fear, he doesn’t know what, but he only has to wait for a moment before the voice of that girl finally comes through.

“Wait, Aerrow! Don’t let him leave!” The girl sounds just as frantic as Ace is feeling, “A Saperian Crystal can be used for a lot of things, but it’s most known for it’s medical uses. He could be telling the truth. I’m coming out.”

“ _Piper!_ ” Aerrow calls back to her, alarmed, “It’s too dangerous.”

But the communicator has already gone dead and Ace’s relief skyrockets. The girl flies out of the Condor, orange Crystal in her hand and speeding towards them. She doesn’t even look at Aerrow as she passes him and straight up to Ace. She should know he could just take it from her with her this close, closer to himself than Aerrow, but he doesn’t.

“Tell me what the symptoms are.” She orders, sounding so much like Lark that it’s no wonder they have become such good friends without even realizing it.

He tells her how it started with a cough, then a stuffy nose and then everything after that until he’s finally gotten to the fainting spells and her declining appearance.

“Aerrow.” She says, finally looking towards her leader who has been slowly getting closer to them, “I’m dropping my helescooter on the Condor. It’s too slow to make it all the way to Cyclonia in time. Yours is the fastest. Come one.”

“Wait! Piper!” But she’s already moving back to the Condor and Aerrow can’t argue with her as he follows and then they are both back with Piper holding onto Aerrow waist.

Ace gives her a dubious look, when she doesn’t readily give him the Crystal, instead demanding to be taken directly into the heart of Cyclonia, “I doubt you have the skills to actually make the cure and Lark is probably too sick for the fine detail needed. I’m the only one actually able to make the cure so stop staring and lead the way.”

He takes them there, and just like so long ago, when his father did the same for him, the Talons barely even give them a look. They avoid eye contact and give both him and the Sky Knights a wide birth and he’s thankful for it. He doesn’t take them directly to Lark, but to her throne room where her Crystal refiner lays days unused and Piper gets to work. She takes to his Master’s workstation like fish to water, finding the Crystals she needs and moving with such ease that he can’t deny this girl’s position in his Master’s heart any longer.

Aerrow positions himself, at all times, between Ace and Piper, a defense that isn’t needed because he owes this girl so much and his Master wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her anyway. He doesn’t bother telling the Sky Knight this, the boy probably wouldn’t even believe him.

It takes the girl little more than an hour before she produces a small, murky green liquid in a small vile, where it had taken the doctors hours to tell him his sister would die. He wants to cry. He wants to do something that will probably embarrass him for life both in front of the Storm Hawks and his Talons. He only barely stops himself, but the thought is still there, and he leads them to Lark’s room.

Ace allows the girl to enter as he stays by the door. Surprisingly, Aerrow stays with him, watching from the sidelines as Piper sits on the bed next to her friend. She is awake, and they speak in quiet voices before they both burst out laughing, of which one degrades into a fit of coughing. When the coughing subsides, Piper has Lark sit up and tip her head back before helping ease the drink down her throat. Piper lays her back down and it seems like it’s only an instant before his sister is fast asleep.

Piper meets his eyes when she walks back towards them and honest to gods smiles at him, “She’s going to be okay. Got to her just in time. She’ll probably be out of it for a few days, but she’ll be back up and trying to take over the world in no time.”

Ace’s eyes harden at those last few words, “I don’t understand.”

“I think you do.” Is what she says right back, “Wouldn’t you do anything for the person you love? I believe in her. She just needs time to believe in herself. Same goes for you, Dark Ace.”

He scoffs, “It’s time for you to leave.”

It looks like the girl wants to argue, but Aerrow covers her mouth and smiles with all the charm he can muster while occupying enemy territory, “I think that’s a great idea. We had a great visit, but we’ve probably overstayed our welcome, haven’t we, Piper?”

He shakes her head with the hand still holding her mouth closed. She pushes him off but doesn’t argue. He leads them back to the hanger only so that they are not attacked on their way by foolhardy Talons and watches them until the clouds cover their retreat. He returns back to Lark’s side almost immediately and sits as sentry once more.

She takes nearly a full month to return back to her full strength and Ace barely leaves her side. He really hopes Ravess and Snipe haven’t completely destroyed Cyclonia in their absence. They’re close to it, with their arguing and attempts at seizing the throne from each other. Master Cyclonis punishes them both for their arrogance.

Nothing goes back to normal after that, though. Master Cyclonis has become unsure of herself. She questions her own plans and Ace’s ability. She calls him weak, a failure. None of this would be happening if not for him, she tells him. _Blames him._

It helps when they find the door to the Farside. It also helps that Ace hasn’t gone up against the Storm Hawks in a while. He can’t be sure, but he suspects Master Cyclonis is keeping him away from a fight between the Sky Knights. But nothing can last forever when they discover the location of the key to the door. The Storm Hawks meet them when they are close to discovering the location from the Oracle.

Again, it is Ace fighting Aerrow and Piper against Cyclonis. Piper tries to sway his Master once more and only with Ace in trouble in his own fight is Cyclonis able to stand her own ground and fight against the other’s persuasion. He almost wishes that Lark would listen to the other girl and quit this foolish endeavor. She’s still not ready, he thinks, as she imbues him with the power of the Crystals and he is finally winning against Aerrow.

That is until the girl learns she has that same gift his Master has over the Crystals. She gives Aerrow his own power and Ace is defeated. But Master Cyclonis has the key and they retreat to safety while the Storm Hawks are left to the collapsing temple.

When she opens the doorway to the Farside, she leaves Ace behind and takes a group of Nightcrawlers. She is gone for a week, of which Ace is in a panic, before returning with three less of the ten Nightcrawlers she took with her. But they are sporting new weaponry and bringing back crates full Farside technology. It frightens him, this new technology. It’s faster than he is, when before Nightcrawlers were barely more than a bug to be stepped on. He can’t even draw his own blade before it’s flying from his hand.

That isn’t all that frightens him. Master Cyclonis has changed. Her eyes have darkened to a black. A color he’s never seen before. Her mood reflects the color as well. She’s distant and harsh towards him and for the first time in her life, he’s actually scared of Master Cyclonis. He had wanted Lark to come to her own choice, without his interference, but Ace feels he has no choice.

“Master.” He says while they are alone in her refinement. It is as she is working on a combination of Crystals that will reflect her message to the entirety of Atmos, “May I speak to you.”

“You are speaking, Dark Ace.” She chides him, as if he were the child and she the twenty something year old, “You try my patience. Speak.”

“This new technology, are you sure that it is safe?” He asks her, not quite the question he wants to ask but it is a safe question to open with, to test the waters, so to say.

“As safe as is to be expected of Farside weaponry.” So…not at all, then.

Ace pushes on, “And you, Master, using the Binding on these Farside Crystals. I feel they are…changing you, Master.”

“Are you questioning me, Dark Ace?”

“Never. I am merely concerned for your health and safety. You aren’t the same, not since returning from the doorway.”

She laughs deeply, but it ends in a growl, “There is something you aren’t telling me. Out with it, servant, before I grow tired of this farce.”

He takes a deep breath, “If I am being honest with you, you haven’t been the same since Piper healed you.” He’s taking a rather critical step in using the girl’s name and he’s hoping it pays off, “You are the Master. Your will is Cyclonia’s will. Not the other way around, nor is Master Anarchis’ will your own. Do not let yourself be just another Cyclonis in a long line of Cyclonia’s Masters.”

She has yet to face him, instead putting her focus into the Machine in front of her, but it seems she has finally finished, a vibrant purple Crystal in hand. There is conflict on her face, as if she is unsure of herself.

“I have worked hard for this day, Ace.” She admits, “Grandmother always said this day would come and it would be because I was destined to be the greatest in a long line of Master Cyclonis’. Yet, here you are, telling me I am just another Cyclonis.”

He shakes his head and says what he has wanted to say for years, “Why can’t you just be Lark?”

“Why can’t I just be Master Cyclonis?” She asks back, angry now but still so conflicted. She orders him to leave and he has no excuse to stay with her.

He can see off in the distance as she makes her announcement, her threat, known to all of Atmos. She demands their unconditional surrender and offering no guarantee of survival. When the time comes, he has no other option but to order the Nightcrawlers to attack. They are heavily armed and Ace, for a second time, must watch another set of Storm Hawks fall, watch another alliance crumble and it hurts his mind and his heart. This time it isn’t for Lark’s protection, but for her pride and it tastes bitter in his mouth.

She orders him to stay behind, though. He should be out there. He doesn’t deserve to stay behind, knowing that it is yet again his doing for the destruction of the free Atmos. He follows her orders though and stays behind, commanding the troops remotely as she said.

The ridiculous thing is, the Sky Knights are winning. The worst part is, Ace has to watch as his Master quickly descends into a frenzied rage, followed by panicked worry and then finally hysterical sobs. She has a rather large Crystal from the Farside. She’s been Binding with it for days. He doesn’t know what it does, but he doesn’t want to find out.

“Master, please.” He begs her, “Lark, listen to me. We are losing, even with the Farside technology. The Storm Hawks-“

“What, Dark Ace, do the Storm Hawks have to do with this?” She growls at him, but the tears in her eyes show the conflict she feels.

But she starts to lower the Crystal anyway. He knows she has some kind of plan, considering she hasn’t deployed even a quarter of the troops. He walks closer to her, slowly takes the Crystal from her hands and sets it aside. When he drops it, he takes satisfaction when it breaks into a thousand pieces. She watches it with broken eyes.

“I hate you.” She says quietly, her now free hands balled into fists, then louder, “I hate you! _I hate you!_ ”

She doesn’t mean it, he knows, and lets her hit his chest, his arms, any part of him that she can reach, “Once a traitor, always a traitor! You betrayed the Storm Hawks and now you’re betraying me! I hate you!”

She doesn’t mean it. He has to keep on telling himself this.

She pushes away from him, “Ready my Battle Destroyer. Ready all the Battle Destroyers. Prepare all the troops. We have a war to win.”

There are a dozen massive Battle Destroyers and several hundred on each ship. They all launch from Cyclonia and race to meet the fleeting end of the previous battle. The Sky Knight have nearly wiped out the first wave of Nightcrawlers, but they are nothing compared to the other thousand troops on the ships and they all go out to face the squadrons of free Atmos.

Ace stays by Lark’s side. He can’t risk leaving Lark to her own devises. Scared of what she might do. The battle soon comes to them, though, when it is clear that even out matched ten to one, the Sky Knights are still winning and the Storm Hawks board their ship. She orders him to fight and Ace really has no choice as he follows her command.

He’s only too glad when Piper follows closely behind Aerrow and directly towards Lark. If his Master won’t listen to her Commander, then maybe she will listen to a friend.

“Lark, you need to stop this. There is still time.” She tells the girl and even after only a few weeks of training, the girl has a handle on the Binding. Even as Lark gives him the power to fight against Aerrow, Piper gives her Captain his own power.

“Dark Ace.” Aerrow says, their blades meeting, “You know this is wrong. So why? You have just as much of a choice as Cyclonis does, so why do all of this?”

“You wou-,”

“Don’t say I wouldn’t understand.” Aerrow tells him, “Because I do. There is a lot of things I would do for the people I call family, but I wouldn’t put hundreds of thousands of lives on the line. I don’t remember much from when I was a child, but I remember your face.”

This sends Ace reeling backwards, tripping over himself, allowing Aerrow to take the upper hand, pushing him back until he’s against the railing of the ship, nearly falling over the edge. Aerrow was only four when Ace had betrayed the Storm Hawks. He had always hoped Aerrow had forgotten him, had only thought him a made-up imaginary friend. He would have never imagined that the boy remembers him.

“I remember a brother.” He says further, and Ace can feel his hands trembling, “Mom said you would come back one day, and I believe her. The question is, do you? If I have to, then I’ll force you to believe those words.”

Ace’s energy sword flies from his hands, the impact of the strike nocking Ace onto his back, with Aerrow standing over him. At that moment, both of the Binding’s light retreats from their body and both males are looking over to the girls a distance away. Piper is holding Lark close to her while the younger girl cries on her friend’s shoulder.

“ _Lark_!” Ace calls out.

His sister pulls away from the other girl and looks at him, a terrible, heartbreaking expression on her face. He pushes to his feet and runs over to her, kneeling next to her.

“Ace, you tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.” She clings onto Ace and all he can do is the same to her, “I just want to be Lark.”

“It’s okay.” He whispers into her hair, “It’s okay.”

She pulls away slowly, wipes the tears from her eyes and then looks to Piper, then to Aerrow, “Get your people off the Destroyers and out of the way. Ace, you need to leave as well.”

“I’m not leaving your side.” He tells her, and he means it.

“What are you going to do?” Piper asks her, afraid of the answer but she knows better than to stop the younger girl.

“What I should have done when I first took the title of Master Cyclonis. Now leave.” She says once more.

They do as she tells them after that, with a final hug from Piper and a smile from Aerrow aimed at Ace, saying their conversation from earlier isn’t over just yet.

Lark takes a Crystal from her cloak’s pocket, the communication Crystal. She activates it as soon as the Storm Hawks are on their way back to the condor. Her profile is suddenly a thousand times larger, looming over the battle field.

“All Cyclonian troops are to retreat. Cease Fighting, abandon ship and retreat back to Cyclonia. To the Sky Knights and all of free Atmos, Cyclonia surrenders.”

Then the broadcast is cut short. It seems that whatever Aerrow has said has indeed caused the other Sky Knights to fly further away from the Destroyers. He thinks he already knows what Lark plans to do and he isn’t sure if he can protect both of them afterwards. He just hopes he is enough to protect Lark.

She activates her Blazing Inferno Crystal and she alights with a flame that towers over them. From her hands, a dozen fire balls shoot out, each one connecting with the helm of the massive battle cruisers. When explosions ring from the ships, and the one they are on also gives a shuttering quake, she collapses onto the deck, with Ace barely having time to catch her. But he does, and he cradles her to himself, protecting her from the flames. He tries to at least.

They have no skimmers, or parachutes, just themselves and a burning ship that is quickly beginning to fall from the sky.

“I didn’t mean it, Ace.” She tells him when the wind begins to tousle them a little too much, “I don’t hate you. You are my big brother and I could never hate you. It should be you who hates me, after everything I’ve forced you to do.”

“Never, Lark.” He tells her, “You are my precious little sister and I would sooner hate myself before I hate you.”

He doesn’t tell her that he already hates himself, has always hated himself, but his words are true, and he loves her dearly.

She takes a Crystal from her pocket, “Here goes nothing, right, big brother.” And whispers, “Hard as steel.”


End file.
